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Head pressure, aching, dizziness...

Posted , 4 users are following.

angel-baby
angel-baby

So, yeah. I'm back with more worrying symptoms. Most of my physical problems can probably be written off as anxiety but this one I'm not so sure of.

Yesterday I noticed a fleeting feeling of compression over my head, like my brain was being squeezed. It only lasted a second but it kept happening. I took off my headphones cause they're a bit tight-fitting but it didn't do much. I checked my throat and noticed my glands (or lymph nodes, I'm not sure. They were on the sides of my throat and behind my ears) were swollen. I figured I was just getting sick or something. So then I laid down, but that didn't help either. Finally I went for a walk and that's when it got weird.

The compression kept happening on my walk, and on the way back I noticed I was feeling faint and dizzy. I actually had to sit down and collect myself for a few minutes before I was able to finish the walk home. By then I felt all kinds of weird, though I could attribute some of that to the cold weather as I'm sensitive to temperature.

It kept happening throughout the day until eventually in the afternoon it was a constant thing, and with it came a pretty bad headache. I get headaches and migraines quite frequently, I always have, so I did what I always do-I waited it out, drank lots of water and went to sleep early. When I woke up I felt better, and the compression was gone. I figured it was just a weird migraine and went about my day with nothing but a little bit of acid reflux.

However, now, in the afternoon of the next day, I'm feeling it coming back. Now, I have an extreme case of anxiety, namely health anxiety. Any time something goes even a little bit wrong in my body, I panic. I managed to convince myself I have a brain tumor and I'm going to die from it. I can't see a doctor until Oct. 24, three days from now. The emergency room is sick of seeing me-I've gone quite a few times in the past month. My last visit was a week ago where they confirmed my vitals and tests were normal. They did blood tests, urine tests, all that good stuff. All normal.

However, last week I had a strong bout of dizziness and fatigue, but that was very likely a result of PMS. My tests came back normal for that. I did not receive any imaging that day, and I would have passed on it anyway as I have had too many x-rays these past few months and I'm terrified of radiation.

I don't know if this is something I should panic about or not, but one thing's for sure, it's not getting any better the longer I think about it. Is there anything this might be that's not something horrible and deadly? I'm too scared to look up the symptoms of a tumor lest I fall into another panic attack and convince myself even more of my upcoming demise, but I'm also too afraid to look up my symptoms in general because that will have the same result. 

Any symptoms I should look out for, maybe remedies for the pressure? I really don't know what to do here. Any help is greatly appreciated.

1 like, 2 replies

2 Replies

  • beeberlla
    beeberlla angel-baby

    Posted

    Hi

    Other than a migraine or tension headache, it could be a jaw problem known as TMJD or teeth grinding (wear a mouth guard at night), neck strain or are you under a lot of stress , have poor posture or sit with your head forward while on the computer? All of these can cause your symptoms. Anxiety makes us weak and tenses muscles causing lots of problems. I too get these headaches. Stress and poor posture is me. I have had this condition on and off for many years due to a very demanding life. It does naturally make us worry and panic . Usually after a week or 2 of management my headache and dizziness would go away , with the help of pain killers and especially sleep , I used the over counter sedative with codiene and paracetamol. But usually needed something stronger from the dr that also relaxed the muscles when it went on longer. I would get acupuncture or massage if it lasted more than a week, this helped. The best and cheapest way to avoid the headaches , I found, was at least 15 minutes of daily cardio exercise or a good 30 minute brisk walk each day. That worked like magic, I never got the headaches. Unfortunately a few bouts of the flu got in the way 3 mths ago and I pushed myself with all my same demands ; hours on the computer, work , worries etc (and no exercise) , I didn't look after myself. Now I have constant head pressure /pain. The specialist thinks it's years of muscle pressure on my jaw/neck , which can refer pain to other areas or it may be teeth grinding? He may be right, however, I do know that a neck muscle flexed so much (while i was on the computer) that I felt it pull my head back. It could be something like mild whiplash, looking down then up frequently makes my neck muscles feel weak and I get lightheaded. Frozen peas on my head pain help alot and a warm heatpack on my neck. I walk 30minutes a day and stay away from sugar and too many carbs, it's a very slow recovery. I too have suffered from anxiety. It naturally has returned as i wait for my MRI results (tomorrow ). The muscles had become so tight I found help with guided meditations on youtube. You may already know this technique: Breathing in to your belly slowly for 4 then hold for 2 breathe out for 6, pushing all the stale air out, really slowing the breathing down. Do it again slowly a few times each times you start to feel the anxiety starting. I've also learnt to get angry with myself and tell the feeling to "change because anxiety is not me".This helps a lot also. If all else fails a quick acting anxiety pill helps enourmously while recovering. I hope something here will help you. Bee

  • anthony246
    anthony246 angel-baby

    Posted

    You’re not alone. I’m going through the exact same thing here and it’s making me go crazy.ER is sick of me too. I’ve gone 3 times already and refuse to give me an mri because I don’t have any ‘red flag’ symptoms.
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